Display package



Nov. 7, 1967 L. VAJTAY DISPLAY PACKAGE Filed Aug. 25. 1965 Leslie l/ajray [N VENTOR.

BY WWW Em United States l atent C 3,351,188 DISPLAY PACKAGE Leslie Vajtay, Colonia, NJ. (420 Park Ave., Perth Amboy, NJ. 08861) Filed Aug. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 482,452 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-4554) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A display package including a container in the form of a box having a top wall provided with an enlarged open area to enable the contents to be observed. A cover is provided for the opening in the top of the box in which the side edges of the cover depend downwardly along the side walls of the box and terminate in inturned flanges thus defining an open ended sleeve-type cover. The bottom corners of the box have depending tongues integral therewith and the corresponding bottom corners of the sleeve-like cover have slots therein for engagement over the tongues to lock the cover in position on the box. The cover is constructed of a transparent resilient flexible material such as a sheet of plastic so that the flanges on the cover may deflect sufficiently to enable the tongues to be engaged in the slots and normally retaining the sleeve-like cover in position.

This invention relates broadly construed, to specially constructed packaging for ready-to-sell products and has to do, more particularly, with a box-like or equivalent container wherein the top wall, side walls, or both, have ornate cutouts or window-like sight openings which serve to display the contents of the container in a unique manner and which have opaque or equivalent components or areas bearing decorative and explanatory printed matter, the price, and so on.

Packages and containers (usually boxes) in this field of endeavor are currently and popularly used to effectively display articles of apparel, toys, dolls, doll dressing accessories, corsages and the like. It is also common practice to use cellophane and equivalent wrappers for such containers. More often than not, it is common in the art to use lithographed, silk-screened and variously decorated chip-board boxes with tucked-in flaps or a similar prefabricated set-up construction. Then, too, it is equally well known that quick applicable and removable sleevetype slip-on covers and shields (made of various grades of transparent plastics) are used as an overwrap. However, it should be noted that such cover-sleeves are four walled and completely encompass the top, bottom and respective side walls of the container or box.

While the above adaptations are perhaps satisfactory in obtaining a suitable end product, the construction thereof involves significant structural and economical limitations'. It follows that an objective of the instant concept is to aptly cope with and solve certain aspects of the over-all problem for obviously such full girth-encompassing sleeves are bulky and space consuming when shipped or stored, this because of their ready-made or prefabricated character. In fact, they require as much space as the setup box and thus require pre-assembling of the box and sleeve and necessitate subsequent disassembling for filling, or, shipping twice the volume at half of the weight. Further, such adaptations often require taping, cementing or sealing to cope with inadvertent opening While being shipped.

An additional objection has to do with the fact that the relatively expensive plastic sleeve wraps around and over the whole box including, of course, the back or bottom Wall and generally opaque imperforate portions as well as those portions which are desirably transparent,

thus involving the usage of 25% to 30% more plastic material than should be required for satisfactory display needs.

The herein disclosed advance in the art has to do with a container, a display-type box, for example, character ized by an adaptation having at least one wall provided with window-type sight opening means permitting the prospective purchaser to view and examine the containers contents, readily applicable and removable overwrap cover means substantially but not Wholly encompassing said container, that portion of the cover means oriented with said sight opening means permitting the latter to be viewed without blockage or obstruction, and readily accessible manually manipulatable means positioning and retaining said cover means in its container encompassing but bodily detachable and removable position.

More explicitly, the preferred embodiment of the in- Vention is such that the aforementioned container takes the form of a box, that is, an ordinary generally rectangular box having top, bottom, side and end walls. The cover means for the box is characterized by an openended specially constructed sleeve. This sleeve embodies a top which overlies the top of the box, longitudinal side walls or components which span the corresponding walls of the box, said sleeve instead of being closed and forming a fourth wall, being substantially open at the bottom and uncovering the major portion of the bottom Wall' of the box. The elongated side Walls of the sleeve are provided with turned-in, that is, right angularly directed relatively narrow flanges or flaps which underlie and contact the minimal cooperable marginal edge portions only of the bottom wall of the box.

The invention also features the construction above briefly comprehended and wherein the cover positioning and retaining means is cooperable with and is also interposed between the marginal edge portions of the box and the flap-like flanges, this retaining means being characterized by tongue-like tabs which are interlocked with keeper slots aligned with and provided for their reception and retention.

Novelty is predicated on the combination of the box (any suitable type of display box) wherein the bottom Wall has the interlocking tongues struck-out and projecting laterally therefrom and the transparent or equivalent selfshaped-retaining sleeve with bottom flaps or flanges underlying the tab-equipped bottom and providing slots or equivalent openings for removable reception and retention of the sleeve locating and retaining features.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accornpanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a package constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and showing the manner in which the two component parts, namely, the box and sleeve are constructed and put together for use.

FIG. 2 is also a view in perspective but showing the bottom of the box (the box having been turned upside down) and showing, what is more important, the featured sleeve construction and the coacting sleeve locating and retaining means, one Wall of the sleeve being shown disconnected to emphasize the readily applicable and removable aspect of the invention.

And FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view detailing an essential aspect of the concept; namely, the box with tab or equivalent means and the coacting flanged wall of the unique sleeve, the flange equipped with a keeper slot for the tab.

Referring now to the views of the drawing, it will be noted that the two-part package is characterized by a display-type box 6 and a complemental readily applicable and removable specially constructed plastic or equivalent box cover 8. It should be understood that the cutouts and sight openings in the box vary in shape, delineation and location and that, under the circumstances, the box 6 may be of any suitable construction. To the ends desired, the box has a top wall 10, an opposed bottom wall 12 (FIG. 2), elongated side walls, sometimes identified as front and back walls 14, and transverse end walls 16.

The cover means 8 comprises, specifically speaking, an elongated open-ended channel-shaped plastic or equivalent sleeve having an imperforate top wall 18 and depending spaced parallel longitudinal side walls 20 which are each the same in construction. Each wall 20 is provided along the free lengthwise edge with a relatively narrow laterally directed flange or flap 22 which in practice is adapted to overlap a minimal marginal edge portion of the bottom wall of the box. The flange 22 is adjoined with the companion wall 20 by way of a bend or bent portion 24 and it will be noticed that this bend or fold line is provided at longitudinally spaced points with at least two elongated slots 26 which constitute keeper slots and are adapted for reception and retention of the assembling and retaining tabs or tongues 28 which are struck-out from the bottom of the box at the juncture 30 of the side and bottom walls of the box. The folds or bent portions 24 of this partial sleeve are dictated by the specific geometry or construction of a desired display box as is understood. The sleeve is scored and folded in production by any suitable means applicable to the end result desired but in such a fashion as to produce an included angle between the flanges and walls of no more than a 90 angle. In practice, the sleeve may be constructed from transparent acetate, styrene or other grades of commercial plastics such as the manufacturer may require.

It is within the purview of the invention to use a box made of chip-board, a sleeve made of chip-board, a box made of plastic in sheet form or in moldable form under which condition the tabs are molded as a part of the plastic box.

It is believed that a careful consideration of the specification in conjunction with the views of the drawing and the invention as claimed will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter of the invention, the features and advantages, and mode of use. Accordingly, a more extended description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and deschibed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use in containing, advertising and displaying goods and commodities, a merchandising package comprising, in combination, a container having at least one wall provided with window-type sight opening means permitting the prospective purchaser to view and examine the containers contents, readily applicable and removable overwrap cover means substantially but not wholly encompassing said container, that portion of the cover means oriented with said sight opening means permitting the latter to be viewed without blockage or obstruction,

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and readily accessible manually manipulatable means positioning and retaining said cover means in its container encompassing but bodily detachable and removable position, said container comprising a box having top, bottom, side walls, and end walls, said cover means being characterized by an open-ended sleeve constructed of resilient flexible shape sustaining material, said sleeve embodying a top overlying the top wall of said box, side walls spanning the side walls of the box, and being substantially open at its bottom and exposing and uncovering the major portion of the bottom wall of said box, the lower edge of each of the respective side walls of the sleeve being provided with a turned-in laterally directed relatively narrow flange underlying and contacting respectively cooperable marginal edge portions only of the bottom wall of said box, said cover positioning and retaining means being cooperable with and interposed between said marginal edge portions and said flanges, said retaining means comprising a pair of tongue-like tabs on each marginal edge portion of the bottom of said box, each flange on the cover having a pair of keeper slots aligned with and receiving said tabs with the resiliency of the material retaining the tabs engaged with the slots.

2. The structure according to claim 1, and wherein the tabs comprise tongues struck out from marginal portions of said box and depending therefronn'said keeper.

slots being formed at the juncture of the flanges with their respectively cooperable front and back walls.

3. A display package comprising a parallelepiped box including a bottom, side walls, a top and end walls, the major portion of said top of the box being open to enable contents of the box to be observed, a sleeve-like cover for said box, said cover being of substantially channelshaped configuration and provided with open ends with a top wall overlying the top of the box and forming a closure for the opening in the top of the box, said cover including side walls depending alongside of the side walls of the box and terminating in inwardly extending relatively narrow flanges engaging the outer marginal portions of the bottom of the box, said cover being constructed of transparent plastic material having shape sustaining characteristics but being flexible and resilient to enable assembly and disassembly of the cover and box, the bottom of said box having struck-out tabs integral with and coplanar with the side walls of the box and which depend below the plane of the bottom of the box, each corner juncture between the flange and side wall of the cover having longitudinal slots therein for engagement over the tongues with. the resiliency of the cover being sufiicient to enable the flanges to deflect sufficient to enable the slots to be placed over the tabs with the tabs projecting through theslots to prevent lateral and 10hgitudinal movement of the cover in relation to the box.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,591,276 4/1952 Middleton et a1. 206-4534 2,797,012 6/1957 Buck 206-4534 3,033,355 5/1962 Van Sickle 20642 3,044,605 7/1962 Clement 206-4534 FOREIGN PATENTS 572,970 11/1958 Belgium.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, 111., Examiner. 

1. FOR USE IN CONTAINING, ADVERTISING AND DISPLAYING GOODS AND COMMODITIES, A MERCHANDISING PACKAGE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER HAVING AT LEAST ONE WALL PROVIDED WITH WINDOW-TYPE SIGHT OPENING MEANS PERMITTING THE PROSPECTIVE PURCHASER TO VIEW AND REMOVTHE CONTAINER''S CONTENTS, READILY APPLICABLE AND REMOVABLE OVERWRAP COVER MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY BUT NOT WHOLLY ENCOMPASSING SAID CONTAINER, THAT PORTION OF THE COVER MEANS ORIENTED WITH SAID SIGHT OPENING MEANS PERMITTING THE LATTER TO BE VIEWED WITHOUT BLOCKAGE OR OBSTRUCTION, AND READILY ACCESSIBLE MANUALLY MANIPULATABLE MEANS POSITIONING AND RETAINING SAID COVER MEANS IN ITS CONTAINER ENCOMPASSING BUT BODILY DETACHABLE AND REMOVABLE POSITION, SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A BOX HAVING TOP, BOTTOM, SIDE WALLS, AND END WALLS, SAID COVER MEANS BEING CHARACTERIZED BY AN OPEN-ENDED SLEEVE CONSTRUCTED OF RESILIENT FLEXIBLE SHAPED SUSTAINING MATERIAL, SAID SLEEVE EMBODYING A TOP OVERLYING THE TOP WALL OF SAID BOX, SIDE WALLS SPANNING THE SIDE WALLS OF THE BOX, AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY OPEN AT ITS BOTTOM AND EXPOSING AND UNCOVERING THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID BOX, THE LOWER EDGE OF EACH OF THE RESPECTIVE SIDE WALLS OF THE SLEEVE BEING PROVIDED WITH A TURNED-IN LATERALLY DIRECTED 